You can thank fragment design for the rising profile of Nike Sportswear’s classic tennis lineup, a range that has been historically largely ignored by sneakerheads despite offering up some of the cleanest lifestyle looks from the Swoosh. Key in that range is the Nike Zoom Match Classic, a lowtop that goes easy on the branding and lets the suede upper do all the taking. The latest pair we’ve got a look at mixes midnight fog with the increasingly popular ‘cannon’ shade, putting it on top of the clean white outsole that secures their elegance. Get a full look after the jump and stick with Sneaker News for info on a US release date. via Dunk.cn

Nike Zoom Match Classic
Midnight Fog/Midnight Fog/Cannon-Summit White
417726-020

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Despite their reputation as among the leaders in Japanese collaborations, New Balance has managed to stay at arm’s length from the trend toward utilizing wild animal prints over the past year.  A couple pairs of the rarely seen P485 classic basketballer are the only thing keeping that statement from being more of a complete generalization, but perhaps we’ll see more feral designs when the calendar rolls over to 2012.  They’d have a bit of momentum if the timing is right, now that this brand new Frapbois x New Balance ML574 has hit the scene with black-on-white spots that’s somewhere between a cheetah and a dalmation.  This pair really pops with its yellow sockliner and outsole, and you can even choose yellow laces to really emphasize the eye-catching appeal.  Click through to see more angles and jump on the chance to get this Japan collabo from a retailer that ships worldwide, Sweden’s SNS.

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We’re ticking down to the end of 2011 in the best way possible – by giving you an advanced look at the big-name releases in 2012. Starting off with Jordan Brand, the Air Jordan 2012 finally showed up in detailed view, boasting a luxurious wing-tip design with a swappable cushioning system and removable inner bootie.  AJ Retros were also a huge hit, as we caught a glimpse at the upcoming Olympic Pack, a new colorway of the Air Jordan X, and a GS colorway of the Spiz’ike. The Nike Zoom Kobe VII was another hot topic this week, as we got a look at the Supreme ‘Cheetah’/Christmas and a preview of the iD options. The KD IV hits keep coming, as the Christmas, Creamsicle, and more upcoming releases wowed the crowd. The third head of the Nike Basketball kingdom also made some noise, as we brought you a look at the Cool Grey LeBron 9. We also brought you release dates for the Christmas Day releases from Nike Basketball and Jordan Brand. Of course, the biggest holiday drop is the Concords, which was featured four separate times during our Celebrity Feet features.

Announcement of the return of NBA basketball was the hottest news of late-November, and this week, NBA players finally got together to participate in Media Day. Nike Skateboarding introduced its January 2012 releases, and the Team Edition in the ‘SB Chronicles’ version made some waves as well. The most anticipated sequel in sneaker history, the Air Yeezy 2, has a confirmed release date, tentatively set sometime in March. This week’s Air Force 1 news was highlighted by the new Vachetta options for the Bespoke Experience. Levi Maestro collaborated with Vans on a pair of Old Skools, while a notable Chi-Town sneakerhead partnered with adidas Originals for two colorways of a sick Forum Mid rendition. Asics will continue its big push in 2012, as we brought you a look at some great January releases, like the ‘Infra-Cement’ Gel Lyte III. Sneaker Con NYC was a huge hit as well, as we brought a nice recap from the weekend event. Check out the rest of Sneaker News Weekly Rewind below, and remember to stay with us for all the big-time news in the world of sneakers!

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Just yesterday Sneaker News provided you with detailed images of the Air Jordan 2012, and readers responded by making it one of the most discussed shoes on the Sneaker News comments corner. The yearly Air Jordan flagship is always a great topic to debate because of the trail-blazing legacy the Air Jordan series has left behind, but lackluster designs over the last few years (with the exception of the Air Jordan 2011) has turned a few loyalists away. The first ‘vibe’ you get when letting the AJ2012 sink in is one of ‘luxury’; featuring acutely placed perforations along the borders of the white leather panels, the Air Jordan 2012 captures that classic wing-tip shoe design, but of course, features a hefty amount of new-age tech like the Flywire-stabilized shell, the removable/interchangeable cushioning/bootie, and the new Flight Carbon spring plate. We’ve got a great look at the details of the shoe below, so take a good look and let us know what you think. via long-7.

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To go the entire month of November without NBA games was tough for a lot of NBA fans, leaving some to cope in unique ways to help numb the pain of a basketball-less month. How did Rudy Gay kill his extra off-season time? By dunking on 25-foot rims and playing around with the massive toys at Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory. But there were some serious moments, like when Rudy and FF’s Drama got together to sketch out plans to end the lockout, a meeting that almost didn’t occur because Drama woke up too late! It’s all good though, because Drama ‘laced’ up his Nike Mag 2011 and skated over to the Fantasy Factory just in time to catch Rudy Gay in the office. Did they hatch a plan that ended the lockout? Check out the video below and let us know what you think.

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The first Nike LeBron 9 to make a big splash this year was the ‘China’ edition, which dropped first overseas. Also dubbed the ‘Blue Flame’ as well as the ‘Year of the Dragon’ to commemorate 2012′s Year of the Dragon on the Chinese Zodiac, the LeBron 9 China accentuated a number of design details for the new sneaker, like the ‘Wing’ on the midfoot that features the neat graphic, the two toned upper that separated the Flywire/Hyperfuse shell and the weave panel, and the Max Air/Zoom Air cushioning, which was dotted with neat speckling. Sneaker News gave early confirmation of the U.S. release of the ‘China’, and tomorrow it will certainly be available at select Nike Basketball retailers, like Nikestore. Are these a must-have in your budding LeBron 9 stash? Check out the images below and don’t hesitate to cop a pair right now from washihuang on eBay.

Nike LeBron 9 ‘China’
Neptune Blue/Current Blue-Total Orange
469764-800
12/17/11
$170

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While ‘Nerf’ certainly strikes child-like memories, don’t expect the release of the Zoom KD IV ‘Nerf’ to be a walk in the park. Last weekend’s release of the Nike Zoom KD IV ‘Weatherman’ proved that only those who were willing to weather the late-night wind-chill would be rewarded with a pair of the most colorful Zoom KDs to date, but the Nerf might be a bit more tense because it appears that they will be more limited in number. Only three NikeTown locations and only eight Foot Locker House of Hoops locations will have them in stock, as well as one retailer in Chicago and another in Hyattsville. We expect people to be camping out for these as we speak, so get out there and do your best to cop one of the best sneakers of 2011. Good luck!

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Michael Jordan’s Last Shot actually happened in Philadelphia, when he played his final game as an NBA player with the Washington Wizards. However, some choose to erase tehir memories of the Wizards era of Jordan’s career, focusing on the great years he had with the Chicago Bulls, which was capped off by the 20-foot jumper and symbolically point six fingers into the sky just moments after. Michael was wearing the Air Jordan XIV in the Black/Red colorway during that game, which is now considered as one of Michael’s greatest career moments. Is the Air Jordan XIV ‘Last Shot’ one of the greatest Air Jordans ever? We’ll find out tomorrow when these officially hit Jordan Brand retailers, so let us know if you’re going to add these to your collection, or simply pick up a pair right now from shoejocky on eBay.

Air Jordan XIV
Black/Black-Varsity Red
311832-010
12/17/11
$160

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It’s official: no sneakerhead under the sun has a pass to sleep on Asics anymore. Yeah, we know you’re salty because you keep missing out on the Ronnie Fieg super exclusives, but if you paid attention to the ‘Infra-Cement’ Gel Lyte III’s we showed you yesterday then you know that there’s plenty more fish in the sea. Here’s two more for you, the latest colorways to pop up for the Asics GT-II boasting the classic nylon look. There’s the black/gold pair that’s markedly less loud than atmos’ take on the same motif earlier this year, and a buttery blue and white with some red thrown into the side stripes for an extra pop. Check out both pairs after the jump and grab them on pre-order from Hanon.

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The past few months we’ve seen no shortage of ill colorways for the Nike Air Max 90, with most of them aiming for the original colorblocking scheme to boot. In fact this one comes off looking quite a bit like an OG release at first glace, so we’ll forgive you if you had to blink a couple of times before realizing you weren’t staring at another Infrared retro. Safety orange is the pick here, with the typically black sections not quite so absolute in their darkness, showing up as mahogany instead. Check out the full pics after the jump and let us know in the comments if these are on your Christmas list. If yes, they can be had now at Sole Boutique or get yours on eBay.

Nike Air Max 90
325018-605

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The Christmas Holiday is just one weekend away – did you pick up all your sneaker gifts yet? If you haven’t there’s no place better than Sneaker Con to go sneaker shopping for yourself or for a friend, because every sneaker you’ve imagined will be under one roof. Thousands of eventgoers and hundreds of vendors will make for a sneaker buying/selling/trading frenzy, so don’t miss out on Sneaker Con’s first trip to Los Angeles when it hits the Los Angeles Convention Center tomorrow! Full event information is below.

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The Air Max 2012 is set to come through with a bold look layering red and neon sections for what’s probably it’s most eye-catching look so far, and from the looks of the model pictured above, we can expect that bold combo on a variety of Nike Running’s top tier releases. The new Nike LunarEclipse+ 2is something like LunarLon’s answer to the annual Air Max flagship series, this premium Lunar-cushioned design among the lightest and most comfortable runners you’ll find on the market today, thanks to an upper cast in synthetics including a huge swath of mesh across the forefoot. There’s also a white pair whose blue tongue and lining are a more familiar match with the neon accents, a colorway that’s so springy just looking at it can raise your body temperature by a couple degrees. The best way to get a jump on New Year’s resolutions is to get started before everyone else, and why not add running to your get-fit-for-spring regime now that the LunarEclipse 2 is available at FinishLine.

Nike LunarEclipse+ 2
Platinum/Varsity Royal-Sail-Reflective Silver
487983-004

Black/University Red-Wolf Grey-Metallic Silver
487983-006

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